The New York Times just ran a story on hymen reconstruction surgeries, a topic I've written about and have been researching in Turkey. Since it came out, it's become the most forwarded story on the New York Times website.* The story makes it seem like this is only a Muslim issue, but in fact many Latinas undergo the procedure for much the same reasons.
Gynecologists say that in the past few years, more Muslim women are seeking certificates of virginity to provide proof to others. That in turn has created a demand among cosmetic surgeons for hymen replacements, which, if done properly, they say, will not be detected and will produce tell-tale vaginal bleeding on the wedding night. The service is widely advertised on the Internet; medical tourism packages are available to countries like Tunisia where it is less expensive.*Funders take note. People are INTERESTED in this subject. Is it too much to ask for a bit of funding??
“If you’re a Muslim woman growing up in more open societies in Europe, you can easily end up having sex before marriage,” said Dr. Hicham Mouallem, who is based in London and performs the operation. “So if you’re looking to marry a Muslim and don’t want to have problems, you’ll try to recapture your virginity.”
3 comments:
I am so sad for these Muslim women who feel they need such surgeries. Stop having sex before marriage. There is no honour in such a relationship, because you never know when it might break.
I find the whole idea that the hymen indicates virginity just ridiculous. I did not bleed the first time I had sex. So what? Where did this idea come from?
The hymen wasn't even 'discovered' until the 16th century, so using it as the gold standard of virginity is fairly new. Since doctors need to check its condition, it's one way controlling female sexuality has been medicalized and institutionalized.
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